The Cherry Blossom Letters
by HintOfAWhisper
Summary: Sakura is tired of the same old same old. She signs up for a mission to the mysterious Demon Country. Before she leaves she begins to write letters to a secret pen-pal. Little does she know, the writer of these letters is right under her nose. ShikaSaku.
1. Carvings

In the dead of night, Sakura sat on a high limb over looking Konoha. She loved to sneak out at night and climb up into the towering tree next to the high walls around the village. During the day her whereabouts were always known, but during the night she could sneak away from her scheduled life. She loved her life greatly, but somehow the thought of her own little secret escape brought a little thrill into her mind.

Sakura gazed up at the beautiful stars overhead. They gave her a feeling of hope and faith. She did not know what she was hoping for, or even what she had faith in, but the fact that it was there, was enough for her.

The wind swiftly blow through the trees, causing the limbs above to shift, the leaves to dance, and slowly one by one fall off then drift away. She just sat there with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees, while the cool winter wind gently kissed her cheeks. Sakura was most peaceful on nights like this.

Konaha was asleep, and other than the watchmen walking back and forth on the walls surrounding Konaha, it seemed like Sakura was the only one awake. All the lights were off except the street lights that illuminated the silent streets below. The only sounds that were to be heard were the ones of nature.

Her mind was at rest. The problems that normally were buzzing through her thoughts were pushed away for a later time. All that she had to think about was herself and how calm Konaha looked at night.

_Breathe_

With this thought Sakura slowly took a deep breath fully filling her lungs with the cool air then slowly letting it escape through her nose. She repeated this a few times with her eyes closed just taking in all off the peaceful essence around her. Finally after finishing her little peace ritual she opened her eyes taking one last look at the village that had been her home for the last 17 years. She slung her legs over the side of the branch and slowly slid off then landing on her legs.

Sakura turned and looked up at the giant wall that her favorite tree grow next to. The wall was built to keep harm out and to help shield the village, but sometimes Sakura felt more like it was keeping her trapped in.

She loved missions because they usually were outside of the walls. The pay was small and the work could range from rescuing a missing cat to tracking high level criminal ninja. No matter what the mission was though she could find happiness in the thought of a little adventure.

Turning back towards the village Sakura began her walk home. Sakura knew well that she could be home quickly if she just ran while using chakra, but she enjoyed her late night excursions and saw no good reasons to rush home. She just stared up at the sky not really thinking about where she was going.

"Sakura, I think you are standing on my foot."

At this unexpected awakening from her thoughts she jumped back and looked down from the sky to a familiar face.

"Shikamaru? I'm so sorry I didn't see you there."

_Damn it Sakura. Why can't I ever watch where I'm going? Now I've almost smacked face first into Shikamaru._

He smiled and nodded. "No problem, we were both not paying attention. Why are you out so late?"

Sakura was happy to see he was in a good mood, well as good of a mood that Shikamaru could be in. She quickly smiled back. "Well why are you out here? If I'm going to tell you my reason for being out so late I want to hear yours too."

When she said this he just grinned. Shikamaru was very skilled at games and tactics and though he was a little on the lazy side compared to most ninja he knew better than anyone that he could read her and outsmart her in any game. "Oh so you want to play that game, eh? Well I asked first so in turn you must answer first."

_Great know he wants to know details about where I've been. If I tell him my secret, it will be lost and I will have no more time for myself. _

Quickly she decided a simple while lie would be enough to keep her secret place safe for now. "I'm gathering pants and herbs to be made into medicine. Tsunade said that we were running low." As soon as Sakura said this she knew she had picked the wrong answer. It sounded almost believable in her head, but like many things, when she said it out loud it just sounded awkward. Would he notice how fake it was though?

"So let me get this straight. You are out in the middle of the night, alone looking for plants and herbs to be made into medicine for Tsunade, yet my eyes tell me that you have none on you."

_Nope. He noticed that it was fake._

Sakura tried her best to stay calm. She did everything in her power to keep herself from stuttering or blushing. "These plants glow during a full moon so it's easiest to find them on a night like tonight. I don't have any right now because during the winter the glow is very dimmed and eventually it gets so dim that it becomes impossible to find them until spring, and I'm afraid I'm a little late to find them."

_I don't think I have ever said or heard so much bull in one sentence._

He just smiled and nodded. He could easily tell that she was lying and didn't want to talk about this anymore so he figured he'd end the conversation and let her get on her way. "Well, I'm sorry that you couldn't find your plants. I was just on a walk admiring the stars. Aren't they beautiful this time of year?"

Shikamaru said this so smoothly that it almost took Sakura's breath away. All she could think about was why couldn't she have said something as simple as that? She felt like a complete fool and knew that he could tell she had been lying about the moon plants. "Yes they seem to stand out more this time of year. I love to look up at the night sky. It's like a big blue sea and the stars are like the twinkling ripples and waves, disappearing as quickly as they appear, just a twinkle caught from the corner of your eye."

Shikamaru was caught off guard by how well she answered his question. It was an honest onion of hers and he could tell by the look on her face. The way she said it, it sounded like poetry the way it flowed, almost having a rhythm to it. He would have thought her answer would be fake and awkwardly said like the other answer she gave him. "I guess this is goodnight then" he responded.

"Yes, nice talking to you, Goodnight" With that last word she hurried back to her apartment.

This time she was using the chakra. She didn't want to have to have another awkward word with Shikamaru that night.

* * *

Sakura's hair flickered behind her as she darted off. Shikamaru stood there for a moment watching her disappear into the night. Shikamaru remembered when Sakura had cut her hair to escape from a sound ninja. Since then her hair had grown long again. The last part he could see of her was her long pink hair and then she was gone.

He looked at his watch to see what time it was. The watch said that he had been talking to Sakura a while. Now he would have less time to do what he had come to do.

_Man…What a drag._

Taking his time, Shikamaru walked over to the Konaha wall and began to walk by it. He stared up at the sky admiring the stars, and thinking about what Sakura had said about them before. She was right and he liked the way her words sounded in his thoughts. The night sky was like a deep dark blue sea, and the stars glowing and then fading like the ripples and waves of the ocean, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. He smiled while he thought about the stars. He had come to like stars as much as he liked clouds. Each had something different that he liked about them but both gave him a calm soothing feeling inside.

He began to grow tired of walking and decided he rather gaze at the stars sitting down. He saw a huge oak tree growing up against the wall. A few of the limbs look like they would be perfect for sitting on so he jumped up onto one of the highest. He sat down and leaning his back up against the trunk of the tree. The view of Konaha was amazing. Never before had he seen what the village looked like from above when it was asleep.

_Hm…looks like I've found a new place to watch the clouds pass by and the stars at night._

Shikamaru began to stare at the sky as he ran his hand up and down the tree feeling all its different textures. His hand came upon something that didn't feel like anything else on the tree. He looked down to see what it was. As he lifted up his hand from the strange feeling spot a carved cherry blossom could be seen.

The cherry blossom was carved fairly deep into the trunk and it was not an old carving. He could tell by the way that the tree had healed itself in the carving that it had not been carved when this park of the tree was ground level. A smile came upon his face at the thought that someone else shared this very branch with him when he was not there.

His hand stroked the carved cherry blossom and he began to daydream. Starring up at the sky while stroking the rose, Shikamaru sat. He was in a different world now, one where no one bothered him with their problems and he could just relax. Somewhere in this trance his hand found its way into his pants pocket. Rumbling around in his pocket he found a kunai. Slowly he pulled it out and played with it in his hand for a moment. Looking at it in his hand, he had an idea. Since this was now his tree too, he would leave a mark of his own like the cherry blossom. Turning around towards the tree trunk he began to carve.

* * *

Sakura reached her front door a little short of breath. Breathing heavily she leaned the front of her body against the door. The air had become colder and she could see the hot air coming out of her mouth as she breathed. She watched the air blow out white then slowly drift up and disappear. Reaching for the doorknob she began to turn it then realizing she hadn't even gotten the key out of her pocket yet. The doorknob was ice cold and her hand quickly recoiled when she had noticed it was locked.

_Ice cold…why didn't I dress heavier?_

She wasn't sure why she ran home so fast, she wasn't sure why she did many things really, but one thing was sure, she was exhausted. Reaching into her pants pocket she found a piece of gum and the key. Popping the gum into her mouth she braced herself for the ice cold doorknob. She unlocked the door then quickly turned the doorknob just enough to get it to open then rushed in. Closing the door before the cold air could get into the door she walked into her apartment.

The apartment was small compared to most but it was just enough for her since she lived by herself. She would admit that it was lonely living by herself all the time and rarely did anyone stop by, but she made due. When you first walked in you came into the biggest room. The room was a kitchen and living room in one.

By the door was a coat rack that had two coats, a hat, and a few scarves hanging on it. There was a closet to your left when you first walked in and then past the closet was the kitchen area. The kitchen was small like all the other rooms in the apartment. There was a stove, a sink, a refrigerator, dishwasher, and a long island that separated the living room part of the room from the kitchen. There were four stools along the island on the living room side. There were white cabinets above and under the counter. Each cabinet had a single pink cherry blossom painted in the center of it. Sakura had a few basic things like a toaster, microwave, and coffee machine on the counter. The walls were light blue and the floor was light blue and white checkered tile.

The living room part of the room had a couch and two chairs. There was a little white coffee table in the middle that was piled high with books and magazines. Sakura didn't clean it off much because few people ever came by. The walls were a very light green and there were two windows each with a plant in them. The floor was wood and she admired the beauty of it. There was nothing that interesting about this room and Sakura didn't usually spend too much time in it.

There was one bathroom with a bathtub, sink, and toilet. The tub was also used for a shower. A small medicine cabinet was above the sink with a mirror on the front. There was a small window next to the sink with a pot of flowers in it. The walls were sky blue with white blotches. Sakura had painted it that way because it reminded her of the clouds in the sky on a pretty day. Next to the tub was a bench that the seated lifted up off of. Inside the bench Sakura kept some toiletries and candles. The ceiling was painted white and on the back of the bathroom door was a hook that her robe hung on.

Sakura's bedroom was in the back. It was her favorite room. The walls were a light purple and the floor was wood like the living room. She had a king size bed that was in the middle of the room. A fluffy white comforter was on the bed with two white pillows. A large closet was to the right filled with Sakura's clothes. All of these things Sakura loved, but the one thing that she loved most about this room was the window. In front of her bed was a big window with an amazing view of a 100 year old oak tree. From the window you could also see you sky clearly. The tree was very close to her window. One of the branches came right up to it. It was perfect to climb on.

During the fall the leaves would turn the most beautiful shapes of orange, yellow, red, and brown. Then in the winter a soft blanket of snow would cover it and ice sickles hung down from the branches. In the spring a family of birds made their nests on the branches. When the hot summer sunshine normally would be cooking her inside the room like an oven the lush green leaves on the old oak tree let just the right amount of sunlight in.

Sakura pulled off her light weight black jacket and hung it on the coat rack with the others. Kicking her shoes into the corner she droopily made her way into the bathroom.

_Why did I run that fast? How did I run that fast?_

Reaching over to turn the water on for the tub Sakura asked herself these questions over and over again in her mind. She turned the water on "hot" hoping that a steamy bath would wash away these questions. First she took off her black turtle-neck long sleeve shirt and folded it. Next came off the pink pants. The pants looked very good on her. They hugged her curves and she liked the way the fabric felt. Carefully she folded the shirt and pants then lay then on the bench cushion. Slipped off her underwear and tossed the panties and bra next to the clothes on the bench.

The water had filled the tub up a good bit now so Sakura slipped in. It was so soothing it became hard for Sakura to stay awake. She watched the steam rise up and then disappear like when she was outside with her breath. Sakura put each leg on opposite sides of the end of the tub, leaned her head back against the back of the tub and let the water flow from the facet to the tub water between her legs.

The sound of the water, the warmth, and the calmness made it impossible for Sakura not to drift off in her thoughts. Sasuke had left years ago and she had heard very little about his whereabouts. She wondered if he had ever had feelings for her.

_Of course he didn't. He hated me. Why can't I get that through my head?_

Naruto and Hinata had been going out almost a whole year. They were truly in love. It was fun to watch them being cute together. The way Naruto wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Sakura wanted love more than anything.

It was December and when everyone else was getting together with their loved ones for the holidays Sakura was alone thinking about how happy everyone else was. Most of her friends were with someone or hung out with friends 24/7. There was no one who wanted to be around her all the time though, so she just stayed alone.

She got out of the tub and dried off. As the soothing water drained she felt a little sad watching it flow away. She walked into her bedroom and slipped on her silky back PJ's. The black tank top style pajama top and the long slinky black pajama pants were her favorites.

Sakura stood next to her soft bed and smiled. "Hello soft warm bed. Meet my cold tired body." She cuddled up under the comforter and got in just the perfect spot. Closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As soon as she was completely comfortable am envelope slid under the front door. Sakura opened her eyes and could see that Tsunade's seal was on it.

_Great…Now what?_

* * *

**This is the first FanFiction I have ever written. The first chapter is a little slow and not that interesting I'm afraid. The next will be better though. I plan for this to be a romantic adventure. ShikaSaku isn't your normal paring but I thought I'd try something other than what is normally done. I hope you like it. Oh, and I'm new to this so if you have any tips that would be great. **

**~ Whispers**


	2. Plans and Pajamas

The lights were off, the bed was warm, and Sakura couldn't be more comfortable, but there it was, mocking her. All Sakura could focus on was the envelope that lay on the hardwood floor in the doorway. The moonlight shown through the living room window, illuminating the spot where it laid.

_Is the world just out to get me today? First Shikamaru and now this._

Slowly she sat up in her bed sighing all the way. Pulling back the warm white comforter off of her tired body she glared at the single blue envelope with the red seal of the Fifth Hokage. She sat on the side of her bed for a few minutes just letting her feet dangle over the floor. She knew that as soon as she touched the floor the calmness would be gone. One foot at a time she got off the bed.

The floor was freezing and her bare feet felt like they were being stabbed with pens and needles. She made her way over to the spot where the moon was shining on the envelope. Picking it up and breaking the seal to open it she walked over to the island and sat on one of the stools. She let out a sigh of relief knowing her feet could just dangle over the bitter cold floor for a while. Gently Sakura pulled out the red paper letter out of the blue envelope and began to read the neatly handwritten letter.

_Dear Sakura Haruno,_

_You are to report to my office at 6:00 am sharp. We will be discussing your plans for the next few months. You have been chosen to help plan a dangerous mission to the unexplored Demon Country. Details of the mission will be discussed. Your attendance on this mission will be up to you. I will be looking forward to seeing you at 6 Sakura._

_~ Sincerely, the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade_

Was this what she had been waiting for? This could be the chance to get away and find herself. Sakura was lonely and anxious for something new. This would be the trip of a lifetime. The only question that stood out from these question was, was Sakura really ready for this?

All these questions were ringing though her head. She looked over at the clock on the microwave and it read "5:45".

"NO!"

_I'm going to be late for maybe the most important meeting of my life!_

* * *

The sun was rising in the East and its gentle morning glow shown on Shikamaru's face. His eyes opened slowly and he stretched his arms and yawned. He gradually realized he had fallen fast asleep in the tree. Looking around he saw that Konaha was just starting to wake up. The village looked completely different in the day then it did in the night.

Shikamaru stood up on the branch he had slept on to get a better look at what all was going on. In the west a few ninja were hard at work cleaning the faces of the Hokage Monument like they did at the end of each year. Beyond that the ANBU were probably hard at work planning secret missions like they always were at the ANBU head quarters.

It was going to be a beautiful day by the way things were looking. He smiled at the thought of a good cloud watching day. Turning around he admired the carving he had done of a deer next to the cherry blossom on the high trunk of the oak tree. It had turned out better than he thought. They looked good next to each other. The deer was strong and handsome with its antler and the cherry blossom was delicate and beautiful all by itself. Never would he of thought it would have turned out as well as it did. He was not an artist but his carving looked like something a skilled artist would do.

With another long yawn he took one last long look at Konaha. What a beautiful village it was. He took a look at his watch to see that it was about time to leave. He had orders to be at the Hokage's office at 7:30 am and he wanted to swing by his apartment before he went to see her.

He tightened the band keeping his dark brown hair up and brushed some dirt off his pants. The young black Nara eyes starred out at Konaha and saw someone far in the distance darting towards the Hokage's office. By the looks of it, it was a young female with long pink hair.

_Sakura? No…couldn't be._

The sound of her own breathing and tapping of her feet hitting the ground was the only thing Sakura could hear. She was deeply lost in her own worries and hopes as she darted for the Hokage's office. Already she was 5 minutes late and had not yet gotten any real sleep. The sun was just beginning to peek up in the East and slowly Konaha was waking up from it's slumber sleep.

_Why did Tsunade pick me? Am I really the right person for such an important mission? Does she have faith in me? What if I let her down? Will her hate me and never trust me again? Does she want me for my advanced medical skills or my strength? _

Over and over ahead Sakura ran through the questions never coming up with the same answers. Finally she reached Tsunade's office. Looking down at her watch she was a total of 7 minutes late. She lifted her fisted hand and was about to know when a voice came from inside the office.

"Sakura, you are 7 minutes late. Hurry up and come in."

Sakura walked into the office to find Tsunade smiling at her. Tsunade was like a mother to Sakura, and Sakura was like a daughter to Tsunade. They had been training together the last few years and in that time they had become very close to each other. Tsunade was strict and drilled Sakura hard ever moment they were together but all that hard work had paid off. Sakura was now ANBU and in her time not attending to ANBU business she worked many hours at the hospital.

Tsunade looked Sakura up and down and her smile grow wide. She reached up and tucked some of the blonde hair that was loosely hanging around her face back behind her left ear. Examining a stack of papers Sakura stood there perfectly still waiting for whatever Tsunade was going to do next. Tsunade looked Sakura straight in the eyes for a moment and her smile turned into a look of seriousness, and then back into a wide smile.

"Interesting fashion statement you've made there Haruno." Tsunade said sarcastically.

Quickly Sakura looked down at what she was wearing quickly noticing she was wearing the silky black pajamas she had put on to sleep in. That was the only think she was wearing other than a pair of black shoes and her light weight black jacket. It was pretty obvious that she was wearing pajamas so there was no point of trying to hide it. Sakura's face blushed bright red as when she looked back up to Tsunade smiling at her.

"What pretty PJ's Sakura. Did you just decide that you thought I needed to see them this morning or where you perhaps running a little late?"

Tsunade looked like she was about to laugh. Never had Sakura been so unprofessional in front of someone as high up as Tsunade. Sakura was so ashamed and worried that this might look bad to Tsunade and that she might not get to go on the mission now.

"I am so sorry…I was in a rush to get here on time and…"

"Shhhhh…Sakura don't worry I'm just kidding. I know that the letter got to you at a bad time and I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm actually just happy you showed up" said Tsunade.

With those words Sakura was so relieved. Sakura even felt a little proud of herself for getting to the meeting, but then she remembered she was wearing pajamas and that feeling went away. How many people had seen her like this? More importantly how many people were going to see her when she walked out after the meeting was over. This time she would be out in daylight and everyone would be awake.

While Sakura was thinking about how she was going to get out of this mess while being seen as little as possible the door to the office opened behind her. Slowly a figure walked in behind Sakura and closed the door.

"Shikamaru, great you're here early. We can start talking about the mission now" said Tsunade.

Shikamaru calmly walked up beside Sakura a bowed to show honor and respect to Tsunade then he turned to look at Sakura and he smiled.

"Pretty clothes Sakura. They look very comfortable" he said.

Was he serious or was he kidding? Sakura couldn't fully be sure. Shikamaru was a very laid back guy and most considered him lazy. Sakura knew that there must be more to him than just laziness because the people that were close to him seemed to adore him. If there was one person in all of Konaha that didn't know that she was wearing pajamas just from looking at her it would be Shikamaru.

"Thank you Shikamaru. They are." Sakura mumbled out.

"So are you two ready to talk about the mission?"

Sakura and Shikamaru walked over to Tsunade's desk and sat down on two chairs in front of it. Tsunade lay out a few papers for them to see and handed Shikamaru a folder filled with ninja's names and information. The papers on the desk had maps and lists on them of things that needed to be done when in Demon Country.

"Konaha is in Fire Country as you know. Surrounding us are the Earth Country, Lightning Country, Water Country, and Wind Country. There are also several other villages other than Konaha. There is the Stone Village, Waterfall Village, Sound Village, Grass Village, Rain Village, Cloud Village, Sand Village, and the Mist Village. What is not so commonly known is that there are two large other countries and three other villages to the East of Konaha." Tsunade said.

Sakura and Shikamaru listened carefully to her every word.

"These two countries are very far away and we have seen few ninjas from. There is the Void Country and a Demon Country. We know little about either country. That is why you will be traveling to the Demon Country to map it out and study the country itself. In the Land of Demons otherwise known as Demon Country there are two main villages. The first is the Village of Shadows and the second is the Village of the Wolf. I need you to gather as much information on both."

They just sat there thinking and reviewing everything they had just heard in their heads. Each of them giving Tsunade a nod she continued.

"Shikamaru I have given you a folder that contains profiles on all the ninjas in Konaha. I want you to pick out a team of top ninja to go on this mission. Sakura may help you if you choose for her to. You will need to put together two teams of 10 ninjas not including you and Sakura to go to the Land of Demons. Both teams will go to the Demon Country and then they will split up and go to the different villages. When you have made you choices report them to me. Oh and Shikamaru make sure that folder does not get into the wrong hands. We don't want that kind of information at an enemy's disposal, now do we?"

He gripped the folder extra tight and gave her a very serious look. "I will keep it safe Hokage" he said.

"Now Sakura…I guess you are wondering why I picked you for this mission. This will be an extremely dangerous mission and there will need to be a very skilled medic in the team. I myself have responsibilities here and cannot go with you. You on the other hand I myself have trained to be able to handle anything that comes your way. There is no one I trust more to heal and save these ninjas. You are ready even though you yourself might not know it now. I have faith in you."

Sakura was so happy that the person she looked up to most believed in here she had to stop herself from crying tears of joy. She put on her strongest face and nodded.

"Thank you Tsunade-Sama. I won't let you down" Sakura said boldly.

Tsunade stacked all of the papers up and put them in another folder. She wrote "Top Secret" on the front of the folder and handed it to Sakura. They looked at each other straight in the eyes for a moment and smiled at each other again. Sakura truly loved Tsunade like a mother as Tsunade loved Sakura like a daughter and Sakura would do everything in her power to make sure this mission was a success.

"You may go now. We will meet back tomorrow to talk about the plans in more detail. Oh, but before you go. This is an extremely dangerous mission and I'm asking a lot of you both to plan and go on this mission. I will not make you do this because it is higher ranked than what I would normally give you. If you want to do this mission you can volunteer. If you do not want to do this mission I completely understand and I can find someone else to handle this even though you two are my first choices."

Sakura and Shikamaru stood there for a moment considering what they were about to get themselves into. Thinking of all the reasons to go and not to go they came to the same conclusion.

"I volunteer" they both same simultaneously.

"Good. Now I have many things to attend to so move along" Tsunade said with a smile.

It was obvious that she was very proud of both of them. They had come so far in the last few years, it really was remarkable. Sakura had become one of the best medics ever and her strength was so amazing that she could punch through almost anything. Shikamaru was a genus and was known for his tactics, planning, and strategy. He had also developed some advanced shadow jutsus that were yet to be seen in any battles.

Sakura and Shikamaru walked out of the office and down the hall. Sakura looked at the folder of maps and lists as they walked. The folder was yellow and had a good bit of weight considering it was just a stack of paper. There were only a few people that they walked past in the hallway and all of them were too busy and caught up in what they were doing to look at Sakura no less notice her pajamas.

_Maybe no one will notice and I will be able to just home and change and no one other than Tsunade will know this happened._

Shikamaru had a bored look on his face as they walked out the front door of the building. Was he bored by the mission or just from their short walk out of the building together?

"Hey! Sakura and Shikamaru over here!" said a voice.

They looked over and there was Ino and Choji walking towards them. Ino had let her hair grow long again like Sakura and Choji had lost a little weight but was still on the chubby side. Choji and Shikamaru were best friends and it was easy to tell. As soon as Choji walked up the guys picked up a conversation from the last time they had seen each other.

Sakura could not follow the two young men's conversation so she turned to Ino. Ino had grown tall and slender. She kept her long blonde hair in a high pony-tail like always and her blue eyes were as beautiful as ever. Ino dressed a little bit more on the sexy side than Sakura did and she acted a good bit more flirty than Sakura did too. There were many men in the Leaf Village that desired Ino and Ino knew that very well. Sakura was more modest than Ino and seemed to keep to herself. She was beautiful and sexy in her own way but seemed to have a harder time getting a guy.

Sakura asked how Ino was doing but Ino was too busy starring at Sakura's clothes.

_No! I forgot I was still wearing this again!_

Shikamaru looked past Choji for a minute to look at Sakura. He knew that she was different than the other girls he knew and there was something he liked about her. He couldn't tell you what it was about her than he liked, but he knew that it was there. Of course she was beautiful but it was deeper than that.

Choji continued to go on and on about who knows what. Finally he realized that Shikamaru was no longer part of the conversation. One look at him and Choji knew that his best friend was lost in Sakura's eyes. He had known Shikamaru long enough to know that he wasn't just staring at Sakura that way because he thought of her as a good friend. Choji stopped talking and stood there staring at Sakura the Shikamaru. No matter what happened he would be there for Shikamaru as a friend.

"So how about we all go grab a bite to eat. Nothing like a good meal with friends" Choji said.

Ino looked over to Choji with a dazed look on her face. She was still caught up in the pajamas and hadn't heard a word Choji had said.

Shikamaru smiled at his friend and looked back at Sakura. "Sounds good to me. What about you Sakura?"

"Sure. I bite to eat sounds great to me"

"Oh but one thing before we go" said Choji. "Why are you wearing pajamas?"

This Chapter was kinda short and not much happened but I needed to set everything up. Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone that sent me reviews. I want to thank uchiha miyo for being my beta and Darknesswithintemptation for the support. Please review and thanks again to everyone that read this.

**~Whispers**


End file.
